HD 620 covers the country south of Ashland in the heart of the Custer Gallatin Ashland Ranger District—deep ponderosa pine breaks, sage parks, and the Otter Creek drainage running through the timber. Elevations run from about 3,000 feet on the Otter Creek bottom up to 4,500 feet on the higher pine-covered ridges. This is some of the best continuous public timber in southeast Montana—long ridges of ponderosa pine, sandstone outcrops, juniper-and-mountain mahogany draws, big sage-and-grass parks, and the Otter Creek and Cow Creek bottom-corridors with cottonwood-and-willow. The pine breaks here have real depth and the country can hold elk, mule deer, and Merriam's turkeys in numbers that genuinely surprise people. Mule deer use the timber-sage interface and the rocky benches; whitetail in the creek bottoms; elk in the National Forest timber; turkeys in the pines; bobcats and mountain lions throughout. Custer Gallatin NF (Ashland District) covers a major share of the public ground, with BLM scattered through and significant private ranchland on the perimeter. MT-484 (Otter Creek Road) is the principal paved access running north-south; FR roads grid the timber. Ashland is north with gas and basics; Lame Deer is on the reservation to the west; Miles City is north for full services. Cell service is essentially gone. Forest roads are passable in dry weather and turn problematic when wet. The Ashland District country is one of the under-recognized public-ground hunting opportunities in MT—quality animals, real public access, and far less pressure than the magazine units of the southwest.